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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileIn the celestial upper register, Christ is flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, surrounded by biblical figures seated on a crescent of clouds. Below, a group of theologians, popes, and philosophers gather around an altar holding a monstrance, engaged in a discussion regarding the nature of the divine. The composition is unified by a central vertical axis connecting God the Father, the crucified Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending toward the consecrated Host.
This work represents the Renaissance synthesis of Christian theology and Neoplatonism, illustrating the 'True' through divine revelation. It was designed as a thematic counterpart to 'The School of Athens,' demonstrating the harmony between faith and reason within the intellectual program of the Vatican's Stanza della Segnatura.
SECVN DV M MAT THAE VM SECVN DV M MAR CVM SECVN DV M LV CAM SECVN DV M IOAN NEM MORALIVM
Translation
According to Matthew; According to Mark; According to Luke; According to John; Of Morals
Dante Alighieri
Dante is depicted among the thinkers on the right, representing the role of poetry in exploring divine mysteries as seen in the Paradiso.
Thomas Aquinas
Depicted as a central figure in the lower register, his scholastic synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy and Christian doctrine is central to the painting's meaning.
Marsilio Ficino
The hierarchical structure of the painting reflects the Neoplatonic 'Great Chain of Being' popularized by Ficino in Florence.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.